© SHL 2012 Preparing to Discover

© SHL 2012 Appreciative Inquiry: 4-D cycle Discovery … at our best? Design … what should be ? Affirmative Topic …..needs to be changed! Dream … what might be? Destiny … what will be?

© SHL 2012 Key Decisions in Discovery Phase Who will craft the questions and the interview guide? Who will we interview? Who will conduct the interviews and how many each? What training will our interviewers need? Who will make meaning of the data and how? How will we communicate stories and best practices?

© SHL 2012 Discovery, Step by Step 1.Craft Appreciative interview questions 2.Develop an interview guide 3.Create an interview plan 4.Communicate the inquiry strategy 5.Train interviewers 6.Conduct interviews 7.Disseminate stories and best practices 8.Make meaning and map the positive core

© SHL 2012 Some characteristics of Discovery Questions Invite stories rather than abstract opinions Are personal and affective Draw on peoples life and work experience Are sometimes ambiguous Help people see and feel things about a work experience maybe for the first time Are uplifting Have a logical flow Surface hidden detail and specifics about what worked well

© SHL 2012 Sample: Questions to encourage discovery story telling Looking at your entire experience within the organisation, tell me about a time when you felt most alive, most fulfilled or most excited about your organisation/work. (Probes: What made it exciting, who was involved, describe what it felt like?) Lets look at something you value most deeply, specifically things you value about your self and the nature of your work and this organisation? When you are feeling at your best what is it about the task itself that you most value? What is the most important thing has this organisation contributed towards your life?

© SHL 2012 Creating your discovery interviews Working in pairs or threes Draft a Discovery Interview Guide based on your topic including: – The title of the Topic – A short explanation of the reason for the topic – A set of questions that will gather information you will need for the Dream phase Interview each other using the guide to test its impact and potential usefulness

© SHL 2012 Group task As a group, discuss the practicalities of the Discovery phase and set out a draft project plan for it in relation to your topic.